Cemetery Walk

 

The old Rural Cemetery is close to our home and when I want a quick walk under trees on dirt trails without taking the car first, this is where I turn to. A brisk ten minute walk and I'm surrounded by the stillness of a place like this. I'm seldom the only one who loves to walk here.

There is a surprisingly high number of trails through this cemetery, despite it being rather small. This is no Père Lachaise (Paris) or Zentralfriedhof (Vienna) and it certainly lacks the wild and almost romantic charm of the Südfriedhof in Munich. But it plays an important role for my city's history.

It's also a place for wildlife - Western Bluebirds raise their families here, squirrels chase up and down the trees, California Mule Deer roam the cemetery and there are even some sightings of mountain lions.

In late summer the Naked Ladies (Amaryllis belladonna) dance across the cemetery, showing off their beautiful pink dress.

On my way home I took an apple from a "free box" and shot some photos of it in my backyard, playing with light and shadow.

I love this season!

Today's drink for Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T Tuesday is Kakade, a cold and refreshing hibiscus drink that I make every summer. I first had it in Egypt back in 1996 and it always takes me back there when I sip it. Beautiful memories.

Spring Walk in the Cemetery

 

Our oldest cemetery, the Rural Cemetery, is only a ten minute walk away from my home. It's like entering a different world with old crooked trees, birds singing, soft paths and blissful shade. It's an oasis of calm and solitude. Now in spring there is an abundance growth of grasses - everything looks fresh, but soon they will turn brown and mowed so that they don't lend fuel to future wildfires.

The old gravestones tell the history of my city, the names that are so well-known here. Many are beautifully decorated and sometimes small surprises can be found on them.

There are trees that can't keep it straight any longer, fences that broke down a long time ago nd every now and then there are flowers hiding near the gravestones.

I simply love this place. What about you - do you like to visit cemeteries?

 

Día de los Muertos

After last week's Tuesday I had the strong desire to get out, to seek the calmness of nature and to think of anything else but the election. On Thursday I had to walk to the mailbox to ship some Etsy orders and then decided to go to the old rural cemetery. Right next to it is the Memorial Park that I usually only walk through, but this time I took some detours and ended up in the "Mexican" area where I had never been before. I wonder why I had never explored it. Since it was right after Día de los Muertos the gravesites were richly decorated.

After walking along for several minutes I took out my phone and started to take pictures. I just couldn't pass this up, it was too beautiful and represents a Mexican tradition that celebrates the dead instead of mourning them. I had read a lot about the Day of the Dead and had seen pictures of Mexican cemeteries where families gathered at the gravesites to eat, dance and celebrate. I love it and thought it was so much more connected to life.

There were food and beverages on the graves, plastic flowers, toys, figurines, crosses... it seems that everything goes, whatever the person who had passed did love and cherish in his or her life. What a wonderful and thoughtful way to remember a loved one.

I know that I will go here again next year at the beginning of November.

We received the good news on Saturday morning and I had the feeling that a huge sigh of relief was traveling around the world. I heard that the church bells were ringing in my native Germany. We sure felt relieved and quite happy. Now we have to do the hard work of healing this nation.

Parks Are Open Again

A few weeks ago our parks were re-opened. First the parking lots remained closed and only people who live in the vicinity of a park could access it by foot or bike.

My favorite parks are not in walking distance from my home. While I could access the lake by bike, the ride there is no fun at all on busy roads with no bike lanes. Even riding along more quiet neighborhood streets can't avoid the busy intersections.

But the old rural cemetery is close to our neighborhood. It was also closed, but now finally we were able to access it again. Of course there were rules in place, all of which make perfect sense.

There was also another sign that was less comfortable...

We live in cougar country and they have been spotted in our neighborhood, so I was aware of my surroundings and avoided the most remote parts of the cemetery.

After the long closure of the parks and the complaining of the people about it I had expected that the cemetery was crowded because people were so eager to get outside and enjoy some nature. But to my surprise I was almost the only one wandering the trails.

A small section of the cemetery had been turned into a native plants garden years ago. It was a bit overgrown but there were still beautiful flowers to discover.

Calycanthus occidentalis (Spice Bush) 

Lepechinia clycina (California Pitcher Plant)

Of course Lathyrus latifolius, the perennial peavine, could be seen everywhere.

After walking for quite a while I found a bench where I sat down for a while, listening to the birds, breathing in the wonderful scent of the old trees, feeling the sun on my skin, hearing the whispering of the soft breeze in the leaves, watching busy little squirrels and just enjoying being in nature.

Only a week later the parking lots were opened as well while beaches at the ocean still remain closed (except for coastal residents). But I'm still weary of crowds and avoid the more popular parks. I find all the peace and calmness of nature in this old cemetery where time seems to stand still. This is enough for me right now.

Photo Art Friday on Saturday

I almost forgot about Photo Art Friday this week - the wonderful place on Bonnie's blog where photographers come together and show what art work they did in their photos.

This beautiful Celtic cross I found a couple of weeks ago in the cemetery of Tomales, a tiny place along Highway 1 between Point Reyes and Bodega Bay.

I did some levels and saturation adjustments first, then added Bonnie's texture "one life" to it (hard light at 72%), then copied it (multiply at 30%) and did another hue and saturation adjustment. At that point I really liked it, especially the warm colors.

This is the way it looked before:

Which one do you like better?